Correspondent, 24 October: Following the massive success of the 'Chief Minister Majhi Ladki Bahin' scheme, the state government is preparing to introduce an independent financial scheme tailored for single women. State Higher and Technical Education Minister Chandrakant Patil recently shared preliminary details about this ambitious project during an event. According to official sources, this significant decision is expected to directly benefit over 12 lakh single women across the state.
The new initiative aims to provide social and financial stability to widows, divorced, and abandoned women, as well as those who firmly shoulder the responsibility of their family's livelihood and children's education alone. This targeted approach follows opposition criticism directed at the government after several women had to exit the Ladki Bahin Yojana due to e-KYC and other technical issues. By focusing directly on single women, the government intends to offer them substantial support on the lines of the Ladki Bahin initiative.
To ensure the program does not remain merely on paper, authorities have rapidly initiated the data collection of potential beneficiaries across the state. At a primary level, this information is being gathered directly from schools and colleges through the education department. During the student admission process, separate records are being maintained for students whose fathers are deceased, thereby actively compiling data on single mothers.
A high-level committee, chaired by the Commissioner of the Women and Child Development Department, has been established to monitor this entire process. According to preliminary information, the education department has already obtained official records of more than 3 lakh single women. Following this initial campaign, further detailed information will be collected at the tehsil and village levels in the next phase.
Once accurate statistics of single women in the state are compiled, direct financial assistance will be systematically distributed to them. The official announcement of the scheme, the exact benefit amount, and the eligibility criteria have not yet been declared. The specific rules, terms, and conditions will be announced following cabinet approval, as thousands of families eagerly look forward to this major decision.
